Statement from GRL Board accepting the findings of the independent investigation into a whistleblowing claim

Genome Research Limited Chair and Director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute outline steps the Institute will put in place to improve its processes

In April 2018 allegations were made against the Sanger Institute Director and other senior members of the Institute in a whistleblowing claim. An independent investigation into the allegations, commissioned by the Board of Directors (the charity’s trustees), was carried out by a barrister, and delivered in October. The allegations were not upheld. The Board of Directors has carefully considered the investigation report and has accepted its findings.

The genomes were read by the Sanger Institute and its partners, in celebration of Sanger’s 25th anniversary

The genomes, completed today (21 December) will enable researchers to explore the genetic switches controlling bird migration and give insight into the magneto receptors that help robins ‘see’ the Earth’s magnetic fields for navigation. The Turtle dove genome will help conservation efforts to save one of the UK’s fastest declining bird species.

From eye drops to potential leukaemia treatment

Sanger Institute researchers and their collaborators discovered that SRPK1 was the target of a compound being developed in eye drops for the treatment of retinal neovascular disease. The team found that the compound strongly inhibited the growth of several MLL-rearranged AML cell lines, but did not inhibit the growth of normal blood stem cells

New strains of hepatitis C found in Africa

Study could inform hepatitis C treatment and vaccine development worldwide

Three new strains of hepatitis C virus have been found circulating in the general population in sub-Saharan Africa. This discovery could inform hepatitis C vaccine development worldwide and suggests clinical trials of patients in the region are urgently needed. Published in the journal Hepatology, the study could assist the World Health Organisation’s aim of eliminating hepatitis C globally.

Sanger’s cloud computing wins award

High performance computing community recognises pioneering work of Sanger’s scientific IT teams

Sanger’s use of cloud computing has been recognised by HPCwire, the journal of high performance and data-intensive computing. The IT team won the Readers’ Choice award for Best Use of High Performance Computing in the Cloud

Wellcome Genome Campus wins silver watermark to recognise its support for public engagement

Award reflects work to nurture a culture where public engagement is supported and encouraged

The long-standing efforts of the Wellcome Genome Campus to engage and inspire the public have today (29 November 2018) been rewarded with the Silver Engage Watermark from the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE). The Engage Watermark recognises strategic support for public engagement across the organisation, as well as the commitment to develop plans for the future.

The largest study of CRISPR action to date has developed a method to predict the exact mutations CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing can introduce to a cell. Researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute edited 40,000 different pieces of DNA and analysed a thousand million resulting DNA sequences to develop the machine learning predictive tool. Reported in Nature Biotechnology (27 November) the new resource will help make CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing more reliable, cheaper and more efficient.

Human cell atlas study reveals how the maternal immune system is modified early in pregnancy

Cell map of healthy pregnancy could also help understand miscarriages or preeclampsia

To understand how the mother's immune system is modified to allow both mother and developing fetus to exist, researchers studied more than 70,000 single cells from first trimester pregnancies. They discovered that the fetal and maternal cells were using signals to talk to each other, and this conversation enabled the maternal immune system to support fetal growth.

Recessive genes explain only small fraction of undiagnosed developmental disorders

Study will guide research and help estimate risk for future pregnancies

The Deciphering Developmental Disorders study has discovered that only a small fraction of rare, undiagnosed developmental disorders in the British Isles are caused by recessive genes. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute estimated only 5 per cent of the patients had inherited a disease-causing gene mutation from both parents, far fewer than previously thought.

The largest genomic study of parasitic worms to date identified hundreds of thousands of new genes and predicted many new potential drug targets and drugs. Research from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and collaborators will help scientists understand how these parasites invade, evade the immune system and cause disease. Reported in Nature Genetics today (5 November), the study could lead to new de-worming treatments to help prevent and treat diseases caused by parasitic worms worldwide.